


Slow Burn

by jenfurlee (orphan_account)



Category: Wentworth (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-23
Updated: 2017-12-09
Packaged: 2019-02-05 20:29:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12801750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/jenfurlee
Summary: Franky Doyle is Melbourne's finest new chef meets a tough customer who catches her eye. AU.**This work has been abandoned, but will remain available.**





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This work has been officially abandoned. My heart is just not in it anymore. If you would like to continue this series, feel free to contact me. Serious inquiries only.

Franky Doyle was Melbourne’s most famous chef on the restaurant scene in years. After rising to fame as a brash contestant on ‘Masterchef’ Australia, she was all anyone was talking about. Most of the time it was about the chef’s quick tongue and even quicker temper. Within a few months she was appointed as head chef to her own posh little place that was booked solid night after night. It wasn't clear whether the sudden skyrocket to fame was because of her actual talent or because of her raging voice could be heard cursing out cooks and clients alike. Apparently guests who frequented placed bets on when in the evening’s service the chef would finally lose her shit.  
  
In an attempt to celebrate her friend’s promotion at work, Bridget’s group of friends decided to surprise her with drinks and dinner at the popular, “Slow Burn” restaurant. Bridget had the reservation booked with her girlfriends months before her issues had started. At first, a handful of antacids and lots of sparkling water would ease her pain for a while. It wasn’t until she was being wheeled into the emergency room by the EMT that she knew she had a real problem. A few weeks in the hospital provided her little information about what was causing her body to turn against her. The only thing that was providing her enough of a relief was the new diet she was adhering to. The long list of ‘no’s were in a three-ring binder tossed carelessly on her kitchen island. No meat, no dairy, no gluten, no taste.  
  
The evening was proceeding smoothly as the group of women drank from the carefully selected wine list in accordance to their personal tastes. Bea chose a modest riesling, Linda a bold red, and Bridget a bubbly moscato. Ordering proved to always be a bit of an anxiety ridden experience for the blonde psychologist, but the server assured her with a smile, so she decided to relax and enjoy the conversation. By the time they had each managed to finish their first glasses, the entrees arrived to delight and amaze the women at their gorgeous presentation. Bridget’s heart sank in her chest when the square plate of pad thai topped with shrimp and folded egg was placed in front of her on the dark wood of the table. She sighed heavily before handing the gorgeous dish back to the flustered server.  
  
“Don’t everyone wait on my account! Eat, seriously, before it gets cold!” Bridget instructed her friends. “Just gives me more time to work on this,” she held up her wine.  
  
“Maybe we’ll get to see this infamous Franky Doyle, after all,” Linda joked without even a hint of a smile on her face. 

 

“Got a send back, Franky,” her front of house manager, Maxine returned a plate into the heated lamps of the expo window separating the front of house from her crew. She grabbed a clean spoon before tasting the dish.  
  
“Bullshit, that’s perfect,” Franky swore, she dumped the spoon in the dirty bin. She checked over the ticket that she had just stabbed.  
“Check again,” Maxine held up the plate for a further inspection. Her green eyes ran over the dish before she scanned the ticket one more time. She groaned loudly.  
“What kind of idiot orders a pad thai without egg and shrimp? These fucking housewives are killing me, Maxie.” She pulled the plate from the window and tossed it on a nearby station. Franky knew that the servers would descend like vultures at the chance for a screw up when her back was turned.  
“Andrew, are you pulling my fucking dick right now?” Franky spat towards her line cook as he worked nearby. The kid was nice, but had definitely smoked way too much weed in his day. He seemed to be at a continuous few steps behind of the rest of the line. The speed and consistency of her staff was what Franky prided herself on. They could communicate and keep ticket times down even when they were running on hourlong waits all night. But times like this were when she couldn’t help but feel her blood boil. “Can you fuckin read? It says no shrimp no egg, you idiot.” She nearly screamed.  
“I’m sorry, Franks I totally spaced. It won’t happen again, I-” the kid began to stutter over his station, fearing for the state of his employment. She’d fired line cooks for less offenses.  
  
“Shut up and finish that lo mein. New one in five, Maxie. I got it,” the chef set to work fixing the order as quickly as possible. There was no way her kitchen was going to fall into the weeds because of some dumb idiot kid. Just as she raised the plate towards the service window, Franky changed her mind and tore off her messy apron before exiting the from the swinging kitchen doors.  
  
She swore she could hear the collective gasp from the guests as she walked quickly towards table 35. The blonde facing the kitchen sat sipping wine while three friends worked on their meals around her. Called it, Franky thought. She took the opportunity to set the plate abruptly in front of the woman.  
  
“So this is the type of person who orders a pad thai without egg and shrimp. You’re destroying the natural balance of flavors, just so you know. Does this look more to your liking?” the sarcasm dripped from her voice as she lay her hand on the hip of her black chef’s coat.  
  
“It’s still wrong,” the blonde responded with her lips pursed.  
  
“Excuse me? There’s no fuckin way, I made that myself.” Franky looked down at the dish only to discover that in her haste, she had added a beautifully fried egg to the dish on autopilot. Before she could think of anything to say, she grabbed the dish before moving quickly back towards the kitchen . Although she refused to look back, she could hear the patrons begin to clap at the exchange. Her red cheeks blushed brightly as she increased her speed.

“Wait!” Bridget shouted as she crossed into the loud and hectic kitchen. The lanky chef stopped in her tracks before slowly turning around. “I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just that I really can’t eat it,” the blonde revealed with a sigh. Doctors and dieticians kept promising it would be easier, but she expected they were all full of shit. Franky took a few steps forward before ditching the plate on the nearby counter. Damn, her servers were going to need to loosen their belts at this rate. Bridget was surprised by how many black and gray tattoos covered the exposed arms and hands of the chef. Along her forearms were itched a gorgeous knife and whisk respectively. She was tall and incredibly skinny underneath her dark uniform. Her hair was pulled back into a short ponytail at the nape of her neck while her shorter pieces of bangs were restrained with a dark napkin tied as a bandana.  
  
“Allergies?” Bridget nodded once response, feeling the tears stinging her eyes. “I’m sorry, it didn’t say on the ticket. If I would have known, I would have never said that. Please, let me make it up to you?” Part of Bridget wanted to just snatch her purse and drive home, the other wanted to give the kind green eyed chef a chance.  
  
“I literally cannot eat anything,” the blonde warned.  
  
“Try me,” Franky dared as she grabbed a pad and pen to jot down any notes. After a couple minutes of conversation and notes of likes and dislikes, and her mountain of allergies, the chef tapped the stainless steal of the countertop with her pen. “Alright, I got it. I’ll have a bottle sent over to you and your friends. Give me ten minutes tops Ms…”  
  
“Westfall.” Franky winked as the woman exited the kitchen. 

By the time the chef had made her way back towards the table, she had taken the opportunity to swallow back her pride and ditch the napkin-bandana on her head. The dishes she had prepared required a large serving tray in order to transport them towards the round table of women. She might have went a little overboard, but there was something about that look in the blonde’s eyes that made her heart ache. Dietary restrictions, especially strict ones, were no laughing matter to the chef. She paid no attention to the onlookers as she carried the full tray like a pro on her shoulder. Years of food running in her teens had trained her well. Expertly she set the heavy plates onto the waiting tray jack before the women were pulled from their laughter. The blonde’s smile slowly creeped over her face.  
  
. “I decided to go off menu tonight,” Franky stated. She began to describe each beautiful dish before placing them in the middle of the table of women. After she had finished she went on to state: “Ms. Westfall, feel free to try all of these. They meet all the requirements we talked about. Franky nodded humbly before she made her way to her kitchen to finish the rush. Before Bridget could pick her jaw up off the floor, the chef had retreated back to safety. The rest of the women went on with their evening, eating and drinking to their heart's and stomachs content. When the time came to settle up, they each began to reach for their purses as their server returned with their take out containers.  
  
"Dinner is on Chef Doyle tonight, ladies. Happy holidays," she smiled as she deposited the take away on the cleared table. Bridget couldn't believe the surprising actions of the tough chef. She smiled at the thought that underneath the bad girl persona, Franky Doyle was kind.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and your comments! I've decided to see where this fic takes me! Hope you enjoy!

The next morning when Bridget woke late, she was still unable to stop thinking about the secretly kind chef. She found her mind drifting back towards the tattooed woman several times that morning as she lead herself through her daily yoga session. She began each morning with meditation in order to relax her mind and body before she would venture out for her morning coffee. Unfortunately this morning she was unable to stop her legs from wobbling in each position she attempted. Finally willing to admit defeat, she rolled up her yoga mat and got herself ready for the rest of the day.  
  
For some reason unknown to Bridget when she arrived at her cafe of choice, when she ordered her usual to go soy latte she added a double espresso. The spot wasn’t too far from Slow Burn, and for the third time that morning, Bridget found her mind wandering towards the beautiful woman from last night. A coffee was a simple gesture, right? Before the blonde could continue on in her spiral, she turned in the direction of the restaurant to thank her properly. 

Franky awoke early in the morning to sneak in a run before the rest of the home began to stir with movement. If she ran quickly enough, she was sure to get first pick at the local fish market. Franky had always been an early riser, enjoying the peaceful silence the morning would provide.  
  
She showered and tied her hair back in a short ponytail before dressing in her standard black pants and singlet. Over the top she matched it with one of many black hooded sweatshirts with the restaurant logo embroidered onto the back. Franky was on her way out before she passed by the cracked bedroom door.  
  
“Franks?” the small voice questioned towards the blurry figure.  
  
“Yeah, it’s me Tess. I’ve got to get to work, but you and Vera have the whole day planned, yeah?”  
  
“We’re going to the aquarium.” the young child smiled.  
  
“You can tell me all about it tonight when we have supper okay?” Franky stepped in carefully, giving the tiny figure a hug and a quick rustle on her already messy hair. The child whined as she attempted to smooth her dark locks back into place. “I love you, kiddo.” She kissed her forehead once more before heading towards the door.  
  
“I love you more, Franky.” Tess murmured practically asleep again already.  
  
“Defs not.” Franky chuckled at the girl’s sheer adorableness that was Tessa Doyle.  
  
Franky bid her roommate and best mate, Vera Bennett, a good morning before she was out the door and dashing towards her car. She had been with Franky through some of the roughest parts of her life. They had met through a youth program for at-risk teens that Vera volunteered at during her first few years in corrections. Somehow the polar opposite women forged a friendship that puzzled everyone around them. Vera needed a roommate, Franky needed a safe place to sleep at night while she tried to build a life for her and her little sister. When Franky had won the competition, it only seemed right that she and Vera continue to live together as she became Tess’ legal guardian.  
  
By the time Franky had finally arrived at her parking space, she was the usual 18 minutes early for the start of her shift. Perfect, she had time to enjoy her coffee in peace before the chaos of the day could begin. She grabbed her notebook and knives as she entered through the backdoor and made her way up towards the front to greet her partner.  
  
“Maxie where the fuck are you?” Franky asked into the empty dining room.  
  
“Over here, Franky, I believe you remember Ms.-” Maxine was unable to stop Franky from swearing from her spot at the posh bar where she was standing near the petite blonde.  
  
“Westfall.” Franky stammered out. The embarrassment of the previous evening came flooding back to her.  
  
“I wanted to thank you again,” Bridget stood to pass Franky the small cup of coffee. “You didn’t have to go through the trouble last night.” Franky’s arms were crossed protectively over her sweatshirt clad body. She wasn’t quite ready to accept the gift.  
  
“It wasn’t any trouble, really. You’d be surprised how much you can eat even with the limited diet. Besides, I was kind of a dick head, wasn’t I?” The brunette chef replied sheepishly as she innocently tucked a few stray pieces of hair behind her ear. Without the lights deemed in the dining room, Bridget noticed the thin layer of freckles that seemed to be laced over the brunette’s nose and cheeks.  
  
“Yes, but then you more than made up for it. It’s just espresso, I wasn’t sure how you took it.” Bridget attempted to hand the cup over once more. Franky accepted with a sly smile on her face.  
  
“Well, you’re a good guess, Ms. Westfall” Franky took the cup and removed the lid in order to smell the delightful aroma. She hummed her contentment.  
“It’s Bridget,” the women shook hands briefly as if they were meeting for the first time. Only Franky’s hand lingered a touch too long as Maxine watched the exchange from the host stand. She became lost in Bridget’s blue eyes once more in the light of day. Poor thing, Maxine thought with a sigh. Franky was normally quite a charmer with the ladies, but she seemed knocked off her game at the introduction of the spunky blonde. At least the two of them would put on an interesting show.  
“Franky?” a worrisome voice broke Franky and Bridget’s attention away from one another. “I just got called into work, apparently there’s a situation, and I won’t be able to watch Tess today,” Vera apologized to her as she entered the restaurant lobby with an incredibly distraught Tess posted on her hip. The small brunette’s face was buried in her small hands to hide her large tears.  
  
“No worries, Vera. We’ll figure something out,” Franky responded quickly as she scooped the small child off of the meticulous uniform. As quickly as she had arrived, Vera exited towards Wentworth Correctional Facility to what would undoubtedly be a long day of work. Franky had placed little Tess on a bar chair and was fetching her a glass of water while she tried to figure out a plan.  
  
“Guess who gets to be my sous-chef today, Tessa?” Franky said over-enthusiastically as she tried to cheer up the little girl. Tess looked up, but continued to cry those large alligator tears. The girl didn’t budge at the offer. “You can even help me run the line, how’s that?” the brunette attempted to sweeten the offer. Tess loved sitting on the step stool and calling orders at Franky’s cooks.  
  
“I don’t want to watch you work, I want to go to the aquarium. That was the plan!” Tess pouted with her arms crossed over her puffed-out chest. Franky tried her best not to smile at the action, but damn the kid was so cute.  
  
“I was actually planning on going to the aquarium today,” Bridget said from nearby as she sipped her coffee. “I could take her along if you’d like? It’s no trouble at all,” she added.  
  
“Yes, please!” Tess was out of the barstool and hugging on Bridget’s knee in no time. “Hi, I’m Tess,” the little girl then thought to introduce herself to her victim.  
  
“Nice to meet you Tess, I’m Bridget.” the blonde smiled down to her.  
  
“Tess, why don’t you go help Maxie count silverware, alright?” Franky asked and watched the child bounce off in the direction of the host stand to give the adults a moment to talk. “You don’t have to do this. Tess is kind of a handful, and I-” Franky felt compelled to explain the emotional overload that was Tess Doyle.  
  
“It’s no trouble at all. I’d actually enjoy the company.” Bridget stated simply, as if it was nothing to offer.  
  
“You’re positive?” Franky confirmed once more. The women worked out the arrangements quickly. Tess and Bridget would spend the day at the aquarium before returning to the Doyle’s home where Franky would cook them dinner. An an usual first date, Franky had to admit, but at least it left her with something to look forward to at the end of the long shift.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Trigger Warning**  
> Mentions of child abuse/neglect/starvation (Be warned!) 
> 
> Also, my knowledge of the legality of Bridget's consultations for Tess in terms of care are completely fictional seeing as I know nothing of the legalese of psychological professionals in my own country as well as Australia. 'Tis, fiction folks. Their relationship will be more of a "mentor/mentee" relationship rather than a patient/therapist.

Even though Franky’s day was predictably hectic for a Saturday, she couldn’t help but wonder how Bridget was getting on with her little sister. As Franky prepared a family meal for her staff after the large rush of diners, she finally had a moment to slip away to the office and check her phone for earlier messages before heading home. 

All went well at the aquarium. Tess found a fish she swear looks just like you, I’ve attached it below. - Bridget

Franky clicked the image to enlarge only to see the large wide green eyes of a puffer fish. The tired chef couldn’t help but laugh as she noticed the cheeks ready to blow at any moment with Tess posed beside it her cheeks about to burst with air. Tess was such a little punk, and Franky adored every single moment of it. As she looked back at the last six months, the brunette had to admit that she was taking leaps forward from where she was under the custody of their mother. Franky would never be able to unsee the small child’s bones shrieking through her olive skin. How had her social worker not noticed, she found herself asking a million times? They were hardly visible now though, after half a year of healthy meals and a safe home. Sure, things weren’t exactly in perfect working order yet, but Tess’ social worker assured Franky that she was on the right track. Fuck, she was leagues above where she had started out herself. Tess would never go hungry or live in fear again.  
  
After a few seconds more of gazing at the photo, Franky shrugged off her chief’s jacket to the waiting rack in exchange for her hooded sweatshirt and the to-go containers of dinner for her sister and their guest. She slipped out towards the back exit after giving her sous chef, Boomer a nod as if to say ‘she’s all yours’. Boomer waved a quick goodbye before she began shouting for the next order.  
  
Franky’s drive seemed longer than usual as the pondered the possible scene that could lay on the other side of the front door. Bridget was strong, Franky knew that when she witnessed the spunky woman enter the swinging doors of her kitchen with no fear. She was also kind, seeing as she had decided to buy her coffee even after Franky had been a royal arse. Normal circumstances told Franky that in no way was sending her precious little one off with a woman she barely knew. But when Bridget produced her business card, with the words ‘Forensic Psychologist’, Franky had known she was one of the good ones. Besides, she did also scan the woman’s driver’s license, just in case. She nearly keeled over with anxiety by the time she entered the unusually quiet home.  
  
“Franks!” Tess exclaimed as she noticed her big sister enter the living room. She and Bridget sat curled on the couch with a film on the television. Immediately Tess was off the couch and launching herself into Franky’s arms. Franky’s delighted laugh was cut off when Tess wrapped around her tightly. Although the greetings warmed Franky’s heart, it also pained her to know that all Franky had to do was come home in order to be better than the girls’ mother. When she was older, Franky knew her heart would be more guarded as she would become more aware of her past. The same had happened with Franky. So for now she would cherish the warm welcomes while they lasted.  
  
“Hey, Gromit! Are you hungry?” She asked swinging the girl off the ground and into a barstool in front of the kitchen island.  
  
“Yes! Gimmie, gimmie!” The girl reached her hands greedily towards the bag.  
  
“Hey, now, Savage. How about some manners for our guest, please?” Franky’s eyebrows creased as she gently scolded the young girl. Immediately Tess glanced back towards Bridget, as if she had forgotten the whole wonderful day she had spent with the kind blonde lady.  
  
“Oh! Sorry, Gidget!” Tess corrected her behavior quickly as she straightened her back against the chair. She then motioned towards the stool next to her. “Would you like to join us for dinner?” her eyelashes batted sweetly. She was already pulling on bridget’s heartstrings. Even after one afternoon, psychologist Bridget knew that Tess had experienced some kind of trauma. After the first shy hour, she began conversing with Bridget as if she had been speaking to her for her whole life. When approached by anyone near her age, Tess immediately retreated back behind the safety of Bridget’s leg. One thing was evident though by her words, she absolutely adored her big sister, Franky Doyle.  
  
“After last night, I think I’d be a fool not to accept,” Bridget took a seat beside the child as they watched in awe as Franky plated their dinners quietly, the aroma almost becoming unbearable for Bridget to bear.  
  
“Ma Po Tofu and Not-so-Spicy Eggplant.” Franky had set square dinner plates in front of both women as she presented the now plated dishes. “I tweaked the sauces a bit, so they’re safe for all Gromits and Gidget’s alike, so dig in,” Franky announced as she helped Tess scoop a spoonful of rice and pieces of tofu and eggplant onto her plate. “Don’t just eat the rice, please,” Franky reminded as she shrugged off her sweatshirt. “That goes for you too,” she nodded towards the blonde as she revealed even more intricate tattoos detailing the firm muscle of her arms.  
  
“Aren’t you going to sit down and eat?” Bridget asked as she mixed a piece of eggplant in some brown rice on her plate.  
  
“If I sit down, I’ll never want to stand back up,” Franky teased as she began to make her own plate from the other side of the kitchen island.  
  
“Franky likes to stand and eat,” the child said matter-of-factly with a forkful of tofu near her lips. She then continued to eat happily.  
  
“You know why that is, Tess?” the girl shrugged her shoulders, her full mouth disabling her from responding. “Usually because anytime I sit down, you’re asking me to get you something.” Franky then flicked a grain of rice towards her sister’s hair with a smile. Tess squealed as she tried to shake the piece of food away. Bridget smiled as well, as she looked on at the love between the two. It was obvious they had a strong connection running between them.  
  
The three continued on with their meal, as Tess detailed her entire day with her new best friend. Eventually, her head began to dip closer and closer to the granite counter, and Franky finally carried her to off bed.  
  
“I can’t even begin to thank you for watching her today. I know she can be a handful.”  
  
“Nonsense, she’s delightful.” Bridget finished her last bite of the delicious eggplant.  
  
“Hopefully she didn’t gab your ear off,” Franky said as she brought a small piece of tofu to her mouth with a pair of chopsticks.  
  
“Oh, she had lots to say. Mostly about you.” Bridget watched as the woman’s hand used the utensil with ease.  
  
“Oh god, like what?” Franky groaned as she felt her skin turning a shade redder.  
  
“She told me all about how you like mummies instead of daddies.” The conversation had been adorable at the time. Tess’s innocence preventing her from passing on any other judgement besides a casual shrug. The brunette’s cheeks had darkened a considerable amount at Bridget’s words. “So she went on to ask me which I prefered,” Bridget added.  
  
“Jesus Christ, I’m so sorry. She’s just-” Franky began to stutter out her response, her chopsticks had dropped to the plate as she planted her palms on the cool granite to try and calm her heated body.  
  
“So I told her that I also like mummies.” Bridget added quickly before the younger woman could finish, she then immediately swallowed a large sip of water to shut herself up. Bridget! Get ahold of yourself! The ramblings of a young child about the attractive chef’s sexuality were none of her business. Even if she wanted desperately to see the tattooed skin underneath the singlet she was wearing. Shit.  
  
“Oh.” Franky’s hands steadied.  
  
“Mhm.” Bridget set her water glass down without a sound.  
  
“So, I guess we really can consider this a date then,” the right side of the chef’s lips curled upwards causing her cheek to dimple.  
  
“I guess so,” Bridget stated shyly as she set her fork on her finished plate. “That was delicious, but unnecessary. I’m beginning to think I will never be able to eat anyone else’s food again,” she laughed.  
  
“Nonsense, truth be told, I like the challenge,” Franky began to package up the remaining food back into their containers before pushing them out of the way.  
  
“So I’m a challenge?” Bridget’s blue eyes narrowed on the smiling brunette.  
  
“I mean, it’s part of the excitement. Being able to get someone to try something new, maybe something a little bit scary even, or dangerous.” Franky’s long legs enabled her to lean over the countertop towards her guest so she could speak her sultry words softly. Her breath hitched in her neck, and Bridget’s legs crossed unconsciously in her jeans. The delicate lines of the dice tattooed upon Franky’s chest was the only thing on her mind at the current moment.  
  
“Well, consider me hooked,” the blond finally managed to snap back to reality. “I better be going.” Bridget stood on shaky legs.  
  
“So soon?” Franky tried desperately to hide the pout from showing on her face. This act worked for her like a charm many times in culinary school. Bridget paused her movements before giving Franky a knowing glance.  
  
“Yes, I’ve got yoga early in the morning.” Franky nodded at her response before straightening up to her full height.  
  
“Take these.” Franky handed the bag of food towards her guest. “I could teach you, if you’d like. That way you wouldn’t have to rely on others all the time. What did it say in the bible? If you give a man a fish…”  
  
“Too bad I’m allergic and agnostic” Bridget grasped the bag, her fingers brushing over the slightly rough skin of Franky’s hand.  
  
“Well I’m an arsehole and atheist who wants to teach you how to cook for yourself. Seriously, radically changing diets are hard to adjust to. It’s easy to get tired of the same ol’, same ol’.”  
  
“I’m afraid I can’t afford your prices,” Bridget teased with a smile.  
  
“I’m sure we can make some kind of arrangement. Maybe you could spend some time with Tess from time to time? Like, as a counselor?”  
  
“Franky... I’m afraid I don’t see children,” the psychologist shook her head. Conflict of interest, she reminded herself.  
  
“Please? She’s never opened her mouth to speak to a single therapist in the past, and she spends one afternoon with you, and she can’t stop talking about you.” The older sibling was desperate for help. Anything to help the young one process through her past demons. Bridget sighed, unable to resist.  
  
“I can’t give you any professional treatment, but I can provide assistance to any other psychologist she sees.” The women walked towards the front door together.  
  
“Thank you, seriously, Gidget.” Franky released a sigh as well, relieved.  
  
“It’s Bridget,” she corrected with a smirk.  
  
“I know, but the Gromit seems committed to Gidget, and that’s got a nice ring, doesn’t it?” Franky smiled brightly before taking a step closer towards the petite woman. The chief’s hand found its way towards Bridget’s hip where it rested comfortably as she leaned down to close the space between them. A rush of panic immediately set in.  
  
“I-I should go.” Bridget muttered as she pulled her lips away at the very last second. “I can’t-I’m sorry, I’m not ready,” she shook her head feeling the tears begin to well in her eyes. She felt Franky’s hand drop from her hip.  
  
“No worries, Gidge.” Franky winked before she pressed her forehead against the shorter woman. “I can wait,” she whispered. Bridget nodded silently, then turned to make her exit out the front door before she made an even bigger fool of herself.


End file.
